The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in general and the Ruhr region in particular have a dense and diverse network of excellent research universities and universities of applied sciences. In 2007, the state government decided to establish even more universities of applied sciences, calling on NRW cities to submit competitive proposals.

In early 2008, a project group of the city of Mülheim drafted a first proposal for a new university of applied science; in the summer, the neighbouring city of Bottrop officially joined the applicant consortium. In November 2008, the NRW state cabinet made its decision, announcing that the new two-campus university of applied science would be built in Mülheim an der Ruhr and Bottrop.

On 1 May 2009, Hochschule Ruhr West (HRW), or Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, was officially founded as a science and engineering institution. Only a few months later, in September 2009, the university launched its first two degree programmes and welcomed its first students on its interim campuses in Mülheim and Bottrop.

In the years that followed, Ruhr West saw steady and rapid growth, adding four faculties with seven institutes and expanding its academic offerings to a current total of 17 bachelor’s and 5 master’s programmes, including programmes in business administration. After five years, student enrolment was up from 80 in 2009 to more than 4,500 in 2016. Likewise, academic and non-academic staff had grown from 28 to 300.

On 24 October 2014, the university opened its new campus in Bottrop, featuring modern architecture and state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. The Bottrop campus is home to the Institute of Computer Science and the Institute of Energy Systems and Energy Management. In addition to housing lecture halls, a library and a dining hall, the entire building serves as an energy lab to be used for teaching and research.

One of the most modern campus facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia

The new Mülheim campus opened in spring 2016, housing the Institutes of Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Natural Sciences, Measuring and Sensor Technology, and Business Administration. Featuring cutting-edge equipment, lecture halls, a library, a dining hall and a parking deck, it is one of the most modern campus facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia.